REPORT  OF 

HOSPITAL   COMMITTEE. 


The  Committee  appointed  under  a  resolution  of  this  House, 
authorizing  an  examination  into  the  medical  department  of 
the  army,  to  enquire  into  the  practical  workim  •  sys- 

tem, and  to  point  out  abuses,  if  any  are  found  to  e 
to  present  the  following  report: 

The  resolution  is  very  comprehensive  in  its  character,  as 
it  appears  to  open  up  the  -whole  field  connected  with  our 
military  operations.  Confined,  however,  as  the  Committee 
have  beep,  by  the  discharge  of  their  regular  duties  as  mem- 
bers of  this  body,  they  have  only  been  enabled  to  make  a 
personal  examination  of  the  hospitals  in  this  city  and  its 
suburbs,  and  have  been  compelled  to  rely  on  other  sources 
for  information  as  to  the  workings  of  the  system  in  the 
field. 

We  find  that  at  this  time  there  are  some  twenty  hos- 
pitals in  the  city  where  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  are 
treated,  and  capable  of  accommodating  some  five  or  six 
thousand  patients.  They  are  partly  under  Government  and 
State  control,  while  others  are  under  exclusive  Government 
control.  Those  of  them  that  are  under  State  auspices  re- 
ceive rations  or  commutation  therefor  from  the  Government; 
the  nurse  hire  is  also  paid  and  the  medicines  furnished. 
There  is  a  scarcity  of  medicines  to  a  considerable  extent, 
and  those  having  charge  of  State  hospitals  occasionally  make 
purchases  in  addition  to  what  is  furnished  them.  The  State 
hospitals  are  superior  to  those  of  the  Government  in  two 
respects.  We  found  the  bedding  more  clean,  and  a  greater 
amount  of  what  might  be  called  delicacies  for  the  sick,  as 
from  the  liberal  State  and  private  contributions  a  larger 
fund  has  been  furnished  with  which  to  make  purchases.     In 


all  the  hospitals  there  was  found  to  be  sufficient  cleanliness 

in  the  floors  and  walls  and  in  the  culinary  department ;  or 
we  might  use  stronger  language  and  say  that  in  all  these 
respects  they  are  worthy  of  commendation.  The  same  re- 
mark will  apply  to  the  food  furnished,  it  being  good  in  qual- 
ity and  well  prepared.  In  all,  too,  so  far  as  we  could  judge, 
the  sick  are  kindly  treated,  and  do  not  suffer  for  want  of 
attention.  The  chief  ground  of  complaint  in  the  Govern- 
ment hospitals — with  the  exceptions  presently  to  be  named — 
was  the  want  of  cleanliness  in  the  bedding;  the  sheets 
in  many  instances  evidently  being  used  too  long  without 
being  changed. 

While  the  Bird's  Island  Hospital,  in  common  with  other 
Government  hospitals,  is  obnoxious  to  this  criticism,  we  also 
found  the  vessels  used  in  its  wards,  such  as  spittoons,  etc., 
to  receive  too  little  attention,  and  to  be  somewhat  offensive. 
The  Government  hospitals,  that,  in  the  particulars  on  which 
we  are  commenting,  received  the  approval  of  the  committee, 
on  the  General,  the  Banner,  and  Royster's  Factory.  The 
latter  we  mention  particularly  as  being  a  model  of  neatness, 
and  as  reflecting  great  credit  on  those  who  have  it  in  charge. 
We  mention  this  with  the  greater  pleasure,  as  it  affords  con- 
vincing proof  that  the  present  regulations,  if  properly  en- 
forced, are  amply  sufficient  to  afford  our  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  all  the  "aid  and  comfort"  they  could  reasonably 
expect  to  find  short  of  home.  The  attention  of  the  com- 
mittee was  specially  called  to  two  very  important  subjects, 
to-wit :  discharges  and  furloughs.  The  present  system  of 
procuring  discharges  is,  in  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the 
committee,  very  objectionable.  The  plan  now  adopted  is  as 
follows  :  The  Surgeon  makes  application  to  the  Surgeon- 
General  ;  if  the  Surgeon-General  approves  of  the  applica- 
tion, he  makes  his  endorsement,  and  it  is  then  forwarded  to 
the  Captain  under  whom  the  sick  man  serves.  lie  is  ex- 
pected also  to  approve,  as  Avell  as  the  Colonel  and  the  Gene- 
ral commanding.  In  which  case  an  order  for  the  discharge 
of  the  applicant  is  issued  and  addressed  to  the  Hospital  Sur- 
geon. Thus  it  will  be  seen  the  whole  process  is  tedious,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  committee  wholly  unnecessary,  and  wholly 
inefficient.  Indeed,  if  the  intention  had  been  to  keep  disa- 
bled soldiers  as  long  as  possible  in  the  wrards  of  a  hospital, 
breathing  the  impure  air  of  such  places,  then  the  present 
system  is  one  that  is  entitled  to  preference  over  all  others, 
as  it  most  effectually  accomplishes  that  object.     We  call  spc- 


cial  attention  to  the  following  objections  to  this  system  as 
above  detailed.  In  the  first  place  Ave  would  remark  that  the 
army  officers  are  incapable  of  judging  of  the  propriety  or 
impropriety  of  the  discharges,  because  of  the  fact  that  they 
have  not  seen  the  patient  for  weeks,  it  may  be  for  months, 
and  cannot,  therefore,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  have 
any  personal  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  such  patient. 
Again — the  delay  which  must,  of  necessity  result,  as  the 
experience  of  the  last  six  months  proves.  The  army  is  fre- 
quently moving,  so  that  the  application  often  fails  to  reach 
the  military  officer  ;  or  the  officer  may  himself  be  sick,  so  as 
to  be  unable  to  attend  to  the  matter;  or  his  attention  being 
taken  up  with  other  matters,  that  he  may  perchance  consider 
of  pressing  importance,  the  papers  are  laid  aside  for  the  time 
being,  or  perhaps  arc  entirely  forgotten  and  never  acted  on 
at  all,  or  until  the  attention  of  the  officer  is  again  called  to 
the  matter  by  the  intervention  of  some  friend  of  the  sick 
man.  At  any  rate  your  committee  have  seen  patients  in 
the  hospitals  of  the  city,  utterly  broken  down  in  health,  and 
who,  notwithstanding  the  recommendation  of  both  the  Sur- 
geon and  the  Surgeon»-General,  have  waited  in  vain  for 
months  for  a  release  from  their  present  uncomfortable  posi- 
tion. Both  the  interests  of  the  service  and  the  considera- 
tion of  humanity  imperatively  demand  that  some  more  effec- 
tual mode  of  procuring  discharges  should  be  adopted. 

It  is  now,  too,  exceedingly  difficult  to  procure  a  furlough, 
while  the  committee  are  satisfied  that  cogent  reasons  may  be 
given  for  the  adoption  of  a  more  liberal  policy  in  this  mat- 
ter. There  are  many  convalescents  who  will  still  be  in  the 
hospitals  weeks  before  being  able  to  do  duty.  These  pa- 
tients would  recover  much  more  rapidly  if  on  furlough, 
breathing  the  purer  air  and  receiving  the  kinder  attentions 
of  home.  The  beds  thus  vacated  could  be  appropriated  to 
other  patients,  thus  greatly  increasing  the  capacity  of  the 
hospitals  to  accommodate  a  greater  number  of  patients  in  a 
given  time.  One  other  fact  is  worthy  of  attention.  It  is 
now  universally  conceded  that  typhoid  fever  is,  to  a  certain 
extent,  a  contagious  affection.  Now  it  often  happens  that 
convalescents  from  other  diseases,  as  they  linger  for  some 
time  about  the  hospitals  before  being  able  to  return  to  ser- 
vice, contract  this  serious  malady,  and  in  too  man?  instances 
succumb  under  it.  The  testimony  of  the  surgeons  is  uni- 
form on  this  point.  It  is  then,  in  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mittee, much  to  be  desired  that  relief  should,  in  this  respect, 
be  extended  to  our  sick  and  suffering  soldiers. 


1 

The  committee  would  also  call  attention   to  one  or  two 

matters  connected  with  the  medical  department  in  the  field. 

"We  think  that  the  present  arrangement  allowing  only  one 

surgeon  and  one  assistant  surgeon  is  not  sufficient  to  meet 

the  wants  of  the  service.     The  committee  forbear,  however, 

to  enlarge  on  this  point,  but  will  only  state  that  the  surgeon 
general  concurs  in  this  opinion,  and  recommends  that  an 
additional  assistant  surgeon  should  he  appointed  for  every 
regiment. 

On  enquiry,  we  find  that  the  transportation  for  medical 
stores  is  insufficient.  The  wagons  that  were  furnished  for 
this  purpose  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac  have  been  used  to 
a  great  extent  for  hauling  wood  and  other  articles,  and  the 
result  has  been  that  the  wagons  have  been  broken,  and  now 
there  ely  any  transportation  of  the  kind,  and  a  large 

amount  of  medicines,  bandages,  &c,  have   been,  at  various 
.   abandoned  or  destroyed.     As  a  remedy,  we  would 
suggest  that  the  use  of  such  wagons  should  be  limited  abso- 
lutely to  the  transportation  of  medical  stores. 

The  committee  have  thus  given  a  fair  and  impartial  state- 
ment of  facts,  and  have  made  such  suggestions  as,  in  our 
opinion,  would  promote  the  public  weal  and  add  to  the  com- 
fort and  efficiency  of  those  brave  and  patriotic  men  on  whom 
the  country  relies  in  this  hour  of  trial.  All  of  which  is 
most  respectfully  submitted. 

J.  P.  RALLS, 
Chairman  Commit  tec. 


peRmalife® 
PH  8.5 


